The Uncommon Reader is none other than HM the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely ( JR Ackerley, Jean Genet, Ivy Compton Burnett and the classics) and intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view and her relationship with people like the oleaginous prime minister and his repellent advisers. She comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with much that she has to do. In short, her reading is subversive. The consequence is, of course, surprising, mildly shocking and very funny.

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Alan Bennett is better known to me as a playwright with a brilliant eye for the ordinary and everyday and here he doesn't disappoint. The premise is so simple yet unique - the queen wanders into the back yard of the palace to chase her recalcitrant corgis and stumbles upon the local mobile library which opens up a whole new world of books to her Maj. She befriends Norman the scullery boy whose intellect surpasses his lowly position and promotes him to her amanuensis much to the chagrin of the snooty Kiwi private secretary Sir Kevin (who loathes his common name!) and the PM both of whom conspire to rid the palace of this upstart's influence. The description of the monarch becoming an avid reader and her irritation at the intrusion of her regal duties on her newfound passion is brilliantly recounted, and the book is a joy from start to finish, for the two hours it took to read.It has relevance today with the queen as a nonagenarian as it did when she was the octogenarian in this brilliant little book!

Some reviewers have criticised this for being "insulting". It is anything but. It is a tender, gentle portrayal of the Queen. Yes, it shows her as being initially a damned illiterate Philistine, but in that she is hardly unique - almost all of her fellow British citizens are in real life, and all but one of her staff and government are in this fiction. But it also shows her as being able to cure herself of that terrible condition, of having the gumption to outwit those who would rather she remain so, and of being socially liberal. That isn't insulting, it's downright respectful to portray someone as being resourceful and intelligent!

Like much of Bennett's work, there is a gentle humour throughout, much of which comes from the conflict between our ignorant assumptions of the real Queen's habits and beliefs and those of the very different character Bennett has created. But most importantly, far more important than it being entertaining (which it is), or it being beautifully written (it's that too), it is a paean to the joy of reading, and that it doesn't matter what you read as long as you enjoy it.

I bought this on my Kindle on Christmas Eve at my father's recommendation, read it all the way through in one sitting, and loved it so much that I promptly ordered the hardback edition as well. I know that you'll love it too.

What a great idea. The Queen is a mysterious and generally impenetrable character, at the centre of British national identity abroad and at home. Who knows whether she's an avid reader or not? Whether she has the time to or not? Alan Bennett's charming little tale supposing that she doesn't read and develops a habit of reading does make you think. About how restricted a life being a public figure might be. And how few real freedoms you might actually have. And how many people might feel a right to resent you trying to branch out and do something different...

This has a definite Bennett voice, with charm and wit. Making you smile while making you think. And perhaps inspiring the reader to expand their own horizons, to think about what reading might give you, and where that might lead.

A charming novella about the joy of reading and the way in which books can liberate the spirit. One day while walking her dogs the Queen comes upon a mobile library in the palace grounds and out of politeness borrows a book. Soon she is hooked on books and she develops and new attitude to everything around her.

The books and Bennett's/the Queen's comments on them are constantly entertaining. "Am I alone in wanting to give Henry James a good talking-to?" says the Queen. She is disappointed that her passion for reading is not shared by others in her sphere (except the wonderful Norman). Her interest in books is even seen as dangerous by some of the civil servants.

It is Alan Bennett at his best - funny, perceptive and gentle. And there is even a nice twist at the end.

I stumbled on this book by accident and I absolutely love it. The Queen following her recalcitrant corgis, comes across a mobile library. She decides to borrow a book and starts talking to Norman, one of her kitchen staff. Somewhat surprised she becomes captivated by reading. How this changes her life and the lives of those around her makes for an excellent read. But this is a book with just that little bit of acid in it and a main character who decides she will have her own way after years of doing her duty. The machinations of the courtiers are brilliantly portrayed as is her friendship with Norman. The world seems a better place after reading this and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a little bit of whimsy with their fiction. It is a book to treasure and deserves to become a classic. The finale is a masterpiece.

At a time in History when everyone is adamant to prove and show that Her Majesty is human (as if were there any doubt), there comes a fine and funny story about Her Majesty's reading habits. A nice book, thouroughly enjoyable, that shows appreciation for one (if not THE ONE) of the best Heads of State the world has known. Though not with executive power, the world, yes, all of us, owe this Person a debt of gratitute for an enormous wisdom, insight and charisma, shown to us all through more than 50 years of a blessed reign! Long live the Queen, and may Her Majesty be as reader friendly as the character she portrais in this book.